LESBIAN VIDEO ROUNDUP! Yay vs. Nay.

Once upon a time, many moons ago, there weren't that many films/videos/movies/whatever we call this now featuring lesbians. Not QUITE so much anymore. While we're not exactly rocking the mainstream movieplexes, at least on DVD or streaming, there's more and more to choose from. Hence, some unbiased recommendations might be helpful.

Sooooo . . . let's have some! I'll start, and while anyone is welcome to chime in with whatever, it'd be swell if respondents would indicate a couple of things they like, and perhaps a couple they do NOT. It's helpful when considering recommendations to get a more overall sense of the person's taste.

YAYS!

Go Fish - One of the first, and still one of my favorites. Viewers accustomed to Hollywood fare may balk at the low budget production values, but I still find them endearing.

Bound - Sassy and hot. Not into the violence per se, but I've always been a sucker for mob movies anyway. A mob movie with some hot lesbian scenes? Sold!

Blood on the Flat Track - Doc about roller derby! Whoo! Not a "lesbian" movie in that all the characters are and the film revolves around that, but some are, and I enjoyed the casual treatment of that.We Have to Stop Now - Funny. Kind of sexy. Fans of Suzanne Westenhoefer should not miss. Not a movie per se (it's a web series also on DVD), but a helpful and humorous warning that couples psychotherapy may not always go as planned.

Chutney Popcorn - An older one, but an interesting look at a unique family's take on motherhood. Love the main character, wish I could see more of her.For the Bible Tells Me So - A must see for anyone looking for actual biblical ammunition against the hateful bigots of the world.The Joy of Life - Sad, but one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Includes a meditation on what it meant for one narrator to be butch in San Francisco.

Loving Annabelle - I'm sure various peeps have various viewpoints on this film, probably in part because it actually seems designed to BE confusing. However, it glorifies a high school teacher's affair with her significantly underage student. The rule-breaking teacher gets hauled off in the end, seemingly in "trouble," but the romantic nature of the film seems to suggest maybe it was all worth it? Or . . . what she did wasn't really all THAT bad?

Not buying it, personally. I'm all for breaking rules or busting through taboos that seem like regressive conservative bullcrap, as so many of them DO. But after watching this movie, I realized, I'm actually with mainstream society on this one issue. High school teachers and their current underage students in a sexual relationship? Not good. Not good at all. Sexy gazes and gauzy lighting aren't changing my mind here. Boo.

Room in Rome - Pretty women. Pretty set. Lovely sexy lighting.

But everyone is totally effed in the head.

I've grown weary of the Diagnosable Personality Disorder = Hot and Sexy mode of character development. Let's find a way to fetishize some women-loving-women that seem moderately sane and reasonably well-adjusted (i.e., not engaged to men they don't love).Salmonberries - Always thought kd lang was hot. She's a lesbian in this movie. So why is it so damn depressing? Eh.

I was REALLY looking forward to seeing this film. I liked the Watermelon Woman, another film by Cheryl Dunye. And I wanted to see Guinevere Turner and V.S. Brodie in another film together, as I also really liked Go Fish.

It started out really promisingly, too. In the first few minutes of the film, it suggested it would deal with the following topics:

- lesbian relationships that are several years or more old, definitely past the "honeymoon stage." This really interested me, as it seems most lesbian relationship-oriented films just deal with the beginnings, not so much the middles. Yes, the beginning is often romantic, but I'm at a stage where I could really move on and consider something else now.

- What happens to the attitudes of those who put a lot of energy into political activism, past the first few years of that? You start out all fresh-faced and idealistic, you participate in marches, political actions, what have you. It feels great in the beginning. Then, at least some of that effort just . . . doesn't have the long-lasting political or social impact you'd hoped it would when you signed up. Are you jaded now? Do you remain engaged? Do you respond by trying harder or not trying anymore at all?

- Do some couples have kids just because they're bored with each other? Will it actually strengthen their bond, or is this a really bad idea?

- Interracial relationships.

- Somebody gets murdered. Or maybe it's an accident. But maybe not. Also, maybe they buried the accident/murder/whatever victim. Will they get caught?

But then . . . this movie is only about 60 minutes long. Does that sound like a lot for 60 minutes? I think it sounds like a lot for an entire season of a television series.

I think I might try to go read some other reviews of this thing, try to make sense of it in such a way that I could appreciate it a little more, because I WANTED to appreciate it, really I did. Maybe I'll come back and comment on those.

But meanwhile, I think this film collective thing . . . maybe led to a "too many cooks spoiled the soup" situation.

Like, everyone insisted on inserting one or two or three sentences about their pet issue or idea, all in this ONE movie. But then they ran out of money (I'm guessing?) so no one actually meaningfully explored anything whatsoever. Here's an idea and . . . gotta go, my time is up!

At the end you might wonder if they'll keep going for an Owls II, maybe finally flesh out . . . something. But, well, don't want to spoil here, but the way it ends suggests that's not going to happen either.

I might say I don't recommend this movie, NAY, but . . . maybe it's worth watching just for the oddity value alone. It's definitely unique. It has that going for it. And if anyone else watches I'd love to read some other comments.